The Mobster and The Hacker
by t-peezy
Summary: Johnny kidnaps a woman after she witnesses him killing a rival. She's a quirky, fuchsia-haired hacker who ends up working for Johnny. Slowly, he falls for her. Johnny/OC. DON'T OWN excecpt OC character. Johnny and Sonny work together! Shocking, I know.
1. Chapter 1

Azalea loved living near the docks of Port Charles. She got the view of the Hudson River, she could live her life in utter isolation as she lived in a tiny one-bedroom apartment, she was in total bliss. Okay…maybe not total bliss. More like comfort. Today was special for Azalea Wilson. The night before, she successfully hacked and downloaded a new RPG game that was due for release next week. Azalea knew her way around codes and passwords. Just for fun, she hacked her ex-boyfriends' bank accounts when they broke up with her. It was the routine walk to the store for her usual of Sour Skittles and Mountain Dew. She did her best hacking when she consumed the two.

Wearing a black tank-top and olive hemp pants, Azalea definitely knew it was starting to become summer. She loved taking lovely strolls, especially on a sunny day like it was. Of course she could do without the people staring at her hair. Yes, she dyed her hair fuchsia which made her stand out among the blondes, brunettes, and redheads. Despite the stares, Azalea arrives at the store and beelines towards the candy and beverage isles. She realizes how sad she is for memorizing the layout of the store to the point of being on autopilot. After grabbing two 2-liter bottles of Mountain Dew and six packets of Sour Skittles, she hauls them up to the counter, pays, and leaves. Walking, Azalea saw two men talking in the distance.

"I heard you were planning to double-cross me."

"You heard wrong." Johnny tried to keep calm but the man had a gun on him. Eddie Sanchez was one of Johnny's rivals who was third in ranking as Port Charles's most dangerous mob-bosses. Johhny and Eddie had a few run-ins before.

"Come on Johnny, ever since you made that truce with Corinthos, I'm thinking…what does little Sonny and Johnny Boy have up their sleeves?"

"I'm not working with Corinthos! I just have a truce with him…that's all."

"You think I'm supposed to believe that? Where's my missing shipment?" Eddie thrusts the gun into Johnny's chest."

"Maybe it walked off by itself. Look, I don't have your fucking shipment…ask Sonny…maybe he has it."

"Johnny, Johnny, Johnny. You don't wanna to act like a smartass when you're seconds away from having your chest blown out. Now, where's my fucking shipment?" his anger escalating. Johnny's macho pride was slipping and he knew this guy was a loose cannon. So was he.

"I don't have your shipment! You can kill me if you want…it won't make a damn bit of difference! I don't need the steal shipments from low-rate mob-boss wannabes."

"You know, Johnny…that was a real stupid move!"

"Yeah, not nearly as stupid as this."

Johnny head-butted Eddie and reached for the gun. Both men struggled to gain control of the gun. Johnny was fighting like hell to not to get shot. He really hated that he had something like this go down in the daytime. As the rival boss rolled over Johnny, he had more handle on the gun. There was a shot that echoed all over the docks. Eddie is the one shot. Johnny pushes the corpse off of him and stands up. He wipes off the gun which had his, and Eddie's, finger prints all over it and tosses the gun next to the body. He was almost in the clear until he saw a frightened young woman carrying a sack of groceries. Her eyes were wide as she saw one of the men stand over the very man he just killed…the man that was going to kill him. The mysterious woman dropped her bags and fled. All Johnny could see of the woman was her short, strange hair. He walked over to the abandoned grocery bags and saw two bottles of Mountain Dew and Sour Skittles.

"Shit, I gotta find that woman."

Azalea ran as fast as she could. She just witnessed a murder. She was sure the surviving man saw her and knew she must've seen the whole thing unfold. She was biting her already short nails to the nub praying he wasn't searching for her. It was supposed to be a normal day for her and she just had to witness a man get killed. She couldn't go to her apartment anytime soon, so Azalea opted for hiding out in Port Charles.

Dante Falconeri and Ronnie Domestico were standing at the scene of the crime. Dante, knowing who the deceased man was, ponders who would take out Port Charles' up-and-coming mob boss. Who would kill someone in broad daylight in an area that most people walk around? He knew that Eddie Sanchez had two rivals: Sonny Corinthos and Johnny Zacchara. Now, all he had to do was figure out which men did the deed.

"Tough break for the guy."

"You're telling me. Looks like his chest is blown all over this pier. Is the medical examiner here yet?"

"Yep. Well, there's a gun with no fingerprints. Who ever did this was definitely a professional."

"And what professional killer do we know that is capable of doing this?"

"Come on, Ronnie. Why is it when there's a crime scene, you're the first person to implicate Sonny Corinthos?"

"Really, do I need to remind you the son of a bitch shot you and didn't even realize you were his son. The man can easily shoot Sanchez to death."

"This doesn't look like Sonny's calling card."

"Sonny's calling card? Would you please respect your badge for one second and not defend daddy dearest? I got a dead mob-boss and all signs point to Sonny!"

"You're forgetting one other person: Johnny Zacchara."

Johnny made his way to his apartment. He had to track down that witness. Her unusual hair made her easy to find. Great, he had some pink-haired chick watch him kill Eddie. Exactly what he needed. It wouldn't be too long when either Dante or Jason show up at his door asking questions they didn't want answers to. He entered his apartment to find his father, Anthony, pruning his roses. Johnny wanted to find Angela Dwyer and ring her fucking neck for aiding in releasing his insane father. He even hated the thought of the word father and Anthony in the same sentence. That man was anything but. Naturally, Anthony had a smug look on his face indicating that Johnny once again let him down.

"Took you long enough to come back from chatting with Sanchez."

"Not now, old man." Johnny padded to the table holding his much-needed scotch.

"Heard the damn gunshot from all the way here. What were you thinking shooting in broad daylight? What if somebody saw you?" in that moment, Anthony knew his son had fucked up. "Jesus, Johnny! How much did they see?"

"Don't worry about. I have my men looking for her."

"So, it's a woman. Johnny, you have to get the witness before she talks to the cops. For once, would you take my advice? You see this plant? You have to kill the bad roots before it spreads to the rest of the plant."

"Look, just sit there planting your fucking garden and stay out of my business. I'm running this business the way I want to. Got it?"

"You better find a way to pin this on Sonny."

"I told you for the thousandth time, me and Sonny are at peace!"

"You do the Zacchara name injustice. We don't make peace! It's a pass for the other guy to screw you. Now, we have to kill the witness. She's the only person, right?"

"Whatever, old man." Johnny grabbed his keys, gun, and left.

Azalea went to a clothing store and swiped a hoodie when no one saw her. She knew she couldn't change her hair within the hour, so she figured she would go incognito until she can either escape or things blew over. The latter choice was never going to happen, and she knew she had to hightail it out of Port Charles.

Johnny remembered the grocery bag had a logo of a store nearby. He decided to go there and ask about her. The way she looked at him affected him. He distinctly recalled her eyes were dark…like onyx. Reaching the grocery store, desperately tried to come up with a way to ask the store clerk about the woman without sounding suspicious. He entered the establishment seeing an old man standing behind the counter.

"Hi, may I help you with anything?"

"Yeah, by any chance have you seen a woman with pink hair walk in here today?"

"Yep, she's my regular. Though, she never really tells me anything about her. Strange girl…always come in here almost every other day buying up my stock of Mountain Dew and Skittles. Why are you so interested n her?" Johnny saw the man had a skeptical look on his face.

"We were old childhood friends. I wanted to surprise her."

"Oh, she once told me she lived at Harbor View Towers. You could try there."

"Thanks for your help." Johnny left the store and headed back to the apartment.

Azalea was scared to go back to her apartment, but she needed to pack a few provisions in order to hide out. The first thing she was going to do was dye her hair. She hated that part because she loved her fuchsia locks. After stealthily wandering around Port Charles, Azalea was taking the huge risk of being in her apartment.

"Okay, maybe that man was already arrested. Then, you're in the clear. What am I saying? It would've been in the news already. Okay, Azalea, think. What to do? You could barricade yourself in the apartment and pray to holy hell he doesn't track you down. Or…you could run and hide out in Canada…yeah right. He can still find me and kill me there. Okay, just get some things and go. In and out. That's not going to be so hard to do. What the hell am I saying?"

Azalea entered the apartment building shaking uncontrollably. It just hit her…for the first time in her life, she saw someone die right in front of her. It chilled her to the bone. The man just killed another person and acted so cold…distant. Like it was as monotonous as doing the laundry. Johnny entered the apartment and saw some people standing out in the hall. Being the boss of a mob, it had its perks with residents always complying in order not to be targeted. He asked if they knew a young woman, that had pink hair, lived in the apartment complex. He was greeted with a confirmation along with the room number. Azalea had grabbed a duffle bag and jammed all the stuff she could fit into it. She opened her door only to find the murderer at her threshold.

"Where do you think you're going?" Johnny sneered down at the woman.


	2. Chapter 2

The sight of the murderer almost knocked the wind out of Azalea. There she stood looking at the very man she tried to avoid. He looked intimidating, yet had a innocent face. She saw a gun tucked into his pants. Her eyes grew wide as she knew he was going to kill her. If she was going to die, she was going out with a fight. She stepped on his foot and made a sloppy attempt to flee. She didn't even get two feet away from the man when he yanked her back into the room slamming the door behind him.

"Help! Somebody help me!"

"Shut up!" Johnny pointed the gun at the woman.

"Just let me go. I won't go to the cops! You have my word."

"Not good enough. How much did you see?"

"See what? I don't know what you are talking about?"

"Don't play stupid! You know what I'm talking about! Now, how much did you see?"

"I…I don't know. Please, don't kill me."

"Anyone live with you?"

"No, I live alone. Why are you holding me hostage? I told you I'm not going to the cops…."

"What makes you think I'm going to believe that? You know, you are an ideal person to bump off. That pink hair isn't hard to miss."

"It's fuchsia…." she mumbled quietly.

"What?"

"It's fuchsia!"

"Pink, fuchsia…whatever. The point is, if you didn't want me to find you, should've hid more."

"Are you going to waste me or not?"

"You have somewhere you have to go?"

"Look, I'm not going to the police! You scare me enough as it is."

"Why shouldn't kill you right here, right now?"

"Because I asked nicely?" wrong time for sarcasm, she thought.

"Come with me!"

"No! I'm not going anywhere with you! You're going to kill me!"

"Shut up and come with me. If you make a sound, I really will kill you."

Azalea saw the seriousness in his eyes and she had no choice but to comply. She noticed he let her walk in front but held her close holding the gun to her back. It was a tough decision for her. She could either walk to her death or fight until he kills her. She decided to walk with him. He made her lock the front door as he scooped up her duffle bag. They walked down the hall and he pushed her towards the stairs. If he was going to push her down the stairs, she was at least going to look down at how far down the tumble would be.

To her surprise, the man led her up the stairs. In fact, they walked one more flight of stairs. Johnny directed the woman to his floor. He didn't have the stomach to kill her, so he chose to take her as a hostage. She was quite pale with dark circles around her eyes. She looked as if she never slept. Her pink…no, fuchsia hair was cut into a wispy medium-short pixie cut. A small part of Johnny wanted to know her name. He can't just call her pink haired girl the whole time. They reached his apartment and he banged on the door for his father to open the door.

"What took you so long? Who's the girl with the freaky hair?"

"This is the witness."

"Why are you bringing her here for? Waste her already!"

"I'm not killing her…I already killed Sanchez." he pushed Azalea inside.

She was shocked that he lived in one of the penthouse suites. She has never been inside one, but she did hack a nanny-cam that a mom installed so it was sort of like the being in the real thing. His place looked…clean. She was halfway expecting a dingy, hole in the wall with drugs and stacks of money all around them. She was thrown down onto the sectional and saw him point the gun at her once again.

Johnny ordered his father to get some rope. Azalea wondered what the two men were going to do with her. She wished she left for the grocery store earlier today. Damn her insomnia! She panicked when Johnny took her small wrists in his rough hands and proceeded to tie them. He worked on her ankles and bound them as well. Once he knew she was tied, he returned to point the gun at her.

"I'm sorry for my son's harsh behavior. Would you like anything to drink?" Johnny almost wanted to vomit at his father's attempt to charm the girl.

"Harsh? You wanted your son to waste me! Look, I swear I won't say a word to the police."

"Well, in this business…we have to cover our asses. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Tell me how much you saw!" Johnny was losing his patience.

"What do you want from me? I just went to the store for some groceries…."

"Yeah, about that. Who the hell goes to the grocery store and only buys soda and candy?"

"I'm almost on my menses…." she had to lie in order to not say why she bought the junk food.

"What the hell is a menses?"

"My period…I bleed from the crotch!"

"Too much information. Now, tell me the information I want to hear."

"Johnny, you have to be delicate. You can't just badger her until she tells you."

"Jesus, did you have to say my name?"

"Your name's Johnny? Johnny, just let me go and I won't go to the police. I would lie if I have to!"

"You know…" Anthony interjected. "your hair is the same color of some hydrangeas I saw in a gardening magazine once. What's your name?"

"Why do you want to know my name? I'm going to be a corpse, remember?"

"I was exaggerating a bit. You seem decent enough. Just tell us how much you saw and we'll just pay you off. You look like a smart girl…."

"Azalea."

"Azaleas are one of my favorite flowers. Your hair is fuchsia, I assume."

"Yes." suddenly Johnny's phone rang and he pulled out his phone and answered it.

"So, Azalea. What's it gonna be?"

"You really think I'm going to fall for your fake concern? You want me dead! Take your pleasant attitude and shove it!"

Johnny got off the phone with one of his men. He had them make sure no one else saw the shooting. They couldn't be sure. He hoped no one else saw the shooting or he would be in trouble. He was getting irritated with his father trying to sweet-talk her into giving up information. Johnny knew his father would've killed her as soon as she spilled. He was glad Azalea didn't take the bait. He tossed his phone on the sectional and asked if he could talk to his father a bit.

"Old man, I said I got this. I don't need you butting into my affairs."

"Your doing a shitty job at it. You have to get her to trust you, then you bump her off."

"I told you I'm not killing her. And what was all that crap about you giving her hush money?"

"Well, she certainly weren't gonna tell us when she has a gun on her. I may keep her alive for awhile…quite a looker."

"I really don't want to hear your jerk-off fantasies about her."

"Hey, you're never too old…."

Azalea saw his phone resting right near her thigh. She wouldn't let the opportunity pass up. It was a smart phone with a password. She could crack that in five seconds. She slightly shifted her hands when they weren't looking. It took a couple of tries, but Azalea was in his phone. Apparently, he had a picture of him and a woman with long black hair. She heard her stomach rumble and decided to use an app to order a pizza. She quickly tossed the phone to the side.

Johnny turned his attention to his hostage. He was surprised she didn't try to escape. No one was necessarily watching her. He did have his men stationed at the entrance of the apartment complex in case she did flee. He kept pacing back and forth trying to figure out what he was going to do with her. He could waste her, but something about her looked…innocent. Her eyes were wide with curiosity and fear. Yet, she had a bold mouth. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. He walked over and cracked it open a bit to reveal a pizza delivery kid.

"Hey, I'm here with a pizza for a Johnny Zacchara?"

"I didn't order a pizza." he had his gun ready for firing.

"Uh…by my list…you did. Yeah, see?"

"That's okay, sweetie! I already did it for you." Johnny turned around and saw Azalea. How did she order a pizza? "Oh, hello!"

"Hi." the kid waved awkwardly as he saw her tied up.

"Oh, we're just doing a little rehearsal for my next movie. I'm in an action film in which I'm tied up…low-budget really. Honey, I already paid with your credit card online. Would you be a sweetie and pay the nice guy a tip?"

"What?" this was getting weird for Johnny. He stared back at her and she just looked at him urging him the pay the kid. Johnny reluctantly pulled out his wallet and paid the kid ten dollars for the delivery. The kid smiled and left.

"Mmm…that pizza smells good. I'm starving!"

"Who the hell are you?"


	3. Chapter 3

Johnny saw his phone sitting next to the girl and instantly figured out she used it. It had him dumbstruck how his hostage was so calm and collected. She was scared for sure, but she was joking trying to appear braver than she actually was. Johnny set the pizza down on the sectional and pointed the gun at her. Anthony was shocked, but impressed that she was resourceful. Maybe he wouldn't have her killed after all. He could definitely have a leg up on Sonny since she was exactly like that Spinelli kid. Azalea was still hungry, but she eyed the gun more than the pizza box.

"How did you get into my phone?"

"Is that pizza gonna sit there all day? My stomach is growling."

"Answer me!"

"You know…your password was so easy a five-month old could crack it. Who's the chick on the phone?"

"You broke into my phone and the one thing you did was order a pizza? You are one weird woman."

"I'm hungry. Since I'm a little tied up…can't really get a slice." he didn't know why, but Johnny opened the box and saw she ordered a super supreme pizza. He took a slice and fed it to her. She moaned at how good it tasted.

"What are you? You had time and opportunity to run. You would've been shot on sight, but you had a chance. You could've called the cops. Why stay here?"

"Because…what I do is a little illegal. Can't have the cops questioning me. Even if they do capture you, then they would be all over my ass badgering me about giving a statement. I wouldn't be able to do my job."

"And that is…."

"Jeez, are all you mobster guys stupid? What did I do to your phone?"

"You're a hacker."

"Ta-da! Hey, can I get another bite of that slice?"

"I see you had to order the most expensive pizza on the menu…and it had to be the most expensive pizzeria within a ten-mile radius."

"Hey, if I'm going to be held hostage, I might as well eat my last meal in style."

Johnny was still a little suspicious of her. He saw the gears in his father's head turning, plotting ways to use Azalea. Though he hated the idea, she wouldn't be a bad accessory in finding information. Sometimes you needed book-smarts in the place of street-smarts. Azalea really wanted someone to untie her. It was apparent they weren't going to kill her…she hoped. They eased up, but they could easily get rid of her. Johnny decided to release her wrists and she was immediately relieved. Her circulation was getting cut off.

"Want some?" Azalea grabbed the pizza box. Both men stood there unresponsive, and she just shrugged her shoulders. More pizza for her.

"So, you're a hacker. What have you done?" Anthony was giddy, and he couldn't stop himself from asking what Azalea has hacked.

"I hacked into security cams, bank accounts, private chat rooms, games, original government documents…that answer your question?"

"Yes. Johnny, I think we have an ally."

"You just want to use her for business…how do we know if we can trust her."

"Dude, I ordered pizza instead of turning you into the cops. That should be your answer. Are you guys sure you don't want a slice?"

"Johnny, she's obviously not going to the cops. She's a pretty smart kid. Better than that crazy Lisa bitch." Anthony turned his attention towards Azalea who was on her third slice of pizza. "How would you feel working for us?"

"What's in it for me? What do I have to do?"

"Well, you're know your way around a computer. Someone like you would know how to get restricted information and documents…create and erase a paper trail. Come on, what do you do besides hacking?"

"Free-lancing tech-support for noobs who don't know how to work a computer."

"You would make a lot more money for us."

"Alright, old man. You no longer own this business…there is no 'us'!"

"Fine, you can work for Johnny."

"I don't know…what if you guys get caught and put me on the line?"

"You put your butt on the line every time you hack."

"Touché. Okay, I'm sold. Can I go back to my apartment, now?"

"Not a chance."

Azalea sighed in annoyance. How could he still keep her hostage when she agreed to work for him? She actually took the time to look at Johnny. He looked stupid to her. How could he be the boss of a mob? The old guy just irritated her because he only spared her life so he could use her. After eating three slices of pizza, Azalea was full. Johnny stared at the woman and pitied her for being easily persuaded. She was a dangerous hacker, but she still held an innocence to her. Yet, he didn't know how corrupt she might be. The most innocent-looking people often are the most dangerous ones.

Anthony wanted to gag looking at his son. Johnny always grew a conscience and he knew it was his weakness. He didn't care for the girl, but he knew she could be the key ingredient to destroy Sonny Corinthos. He was going to make Johnny be a true leader even if it kills him. Azalea looked around the place and actually liked the furniture Johnny had. She had to stifle a laugh that built in her throat. Johnny definitely sounded like a name of a guy that would be in a mob. She walked to her duffle bag and pulled out some pajamas.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking a shower…duh."

"This isn't your apartment."

"You said I couldn't go to my apartment. And I really need a shower." Johnny definitely knew she was a strange woman.

"Fine. It's up the stairs and to the left." he watched her go into the bathroom. He trusted her but not that much.

"Okay, why do you want me to hire her?"

"Johnny, you're always suspecting the worst of me. Okay, so I might have her spy on Corinthos for me…Johnny, you need to take charge of this business."

"This isn't like the good old days, times have change, old man."

"I'll say, you were always weak like your mother."

"Don't bring her into this!"

"What? She was weak. Always trying to keep you from the business and bitching at me how I was a monster."

"What? You're gonna do the same to Azalea if she doesn't give you the results you want?"

"No. I like her. Even with the weird hair. Well, I'm leaving…see you later."

"Where the hell are you going?"

"Relax, I need plant food for my orchids."

Johnny saw Anthony leave and felt like throwing that pot of orchids at the man's head. He was cause of his mother's death and infuriates him that the man uses her name. He thought about Azalea. Though she was a hacker, he knew she didn't have the stomach for the business. Her eyes when she saw him shoot Eddie said it all. Johnny looked over and saw the pizza box. Part of him wanted to trust, but the other half still had his suspicions. He opened the lid and checked to see if there might've been a listening device or a camera. There was none. He mentally kicked himself for being paranoid.

"I see you couldn't say no to the pizza." Johnny turned his head to see Azalea in her pajamas with her fuchsia locks still wet from the shower.

"Do you always sneak up on people?"

"Only when necessary. So, Johnny, who was the chick on the phone? Was she a girlfriend…friend with benefits…fuck buddy…."

"My sister."

"Oh…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say you slept with your sister…unless you do…you know what, forget what I said."

"That old man made this job seem like a walk in the park, but this business is not what it seems. You're going to be dodging bullets and the FBI. Why take the job?"

"I don't know, I guess it would be interesting. A girl can only hack for the fun of it for so long. By the way, you owe me for my groceries."

"Well, call this pizza as being even."

"So, that man is you father. You two have the strangest father/son partnership ever. I mean, my father wanted me to be an engineer and work for NASA or some shit like that. Your father wants you to be a walking Tony Soprano."

"Rule number one, don't get into my personal business. Your only job is to get information for me."

"Okay, okay. Jeez, no reason to get your panties in a bunch."

"How old are you, anyway? What grown woman only buys that much junk from a store?"

"I'm twenty-three, by the way. I just need a little rocket fuel from time to time in order to be the best hacker I can be."

Johnny scoffed as he sat there in silence with Azalea. He knew he was going to find out everything about this girl tomorrow. She may be a little ditzy, but he could never be too sure she was a federal agent. He knew his father was probably nowhere near a gardening store. He was somewhere plotting his next move to get rid of Sonny. He knew he had to stop him before anything escalated into something big. He also knew Eddie's death would bring trouble from the Sanchez family. The added bonus of the cops investigating the murder also put his neck on the line.


	4. Chapter 4

Sonny Corinthos was sitting in his chair when Jason came into his office. He had heard that Eddie Sanchez was murdered and they knew he was one of his enemies. He only wished he did the deed. The man was becoming a threat, but now the rest of the Sanchez family would be after him. He had to find out who killed Eddie.

"Sonny?"

"Yeah."

"I guess you heard about Sanchez."

"Yeah. This isn't going to be pretty. Now his brothers are going to be looking at me. Get Spinelli, see if he can track who killed Sanchez."

"We've tried this…he's Jackal now. Whenever he got shot, he turned into him."

"Look, I don't care what you have to do. Just get his ass back to normal before I strangle him!"

"I've tried everything. He still think's he's some detective from the forties."

"Fine. We have to find another way. Now, do you know any details?"

"Except he was shot in the chest. The gun he had was wiped clean."

"Okay, anything else? Because this is not helping me. Find out what else you can."

"Do you think Johnny did it? He was Eddie's other competition."

"Maybe. I'm just wondering if he did it or Anthony set me up so he would take me down without doing it himself."

"This whole thing with Anthony Zacchara is getting out of hand. He's a ruthless, uncaring son of a bitch."

"We have to stop that bastard in his tracks."

Johnny was in his apartment waiting on one of his men to call him back with the background check on Azalea. He even doubted if Azalea was her real name. It wasn't just some coincidence that her name was a the name of one his father's favorite flowers. Speaking of him, he hadn't seen the old man since he left. He would be relieved if the man died while walking back from whatever the hell he was going. Azalea was still in his apartment. She slept on the sectional and found it somewhat comfortable. She tried to sleep longer but Johnny's pacing kept her awake, she finally sat up.

"I see you're finally up."

"What time is it?" she stretched and yawned.

"It's almost eleven."

"Is that all? It's so early. Ten more minutes." she laid back down.

"Oh no you don't. I get up at seven each morning. No excuse!"

"But it's so early!"

"How is eleven o'clock in the morning early? I need you to prove to me that you can hack."

"Can I at least have breakfast first? You can't expect me to work on an empty stomach." the girl haven't even started the job, and he was already getting annoyed.

"Fine…what do you want?"

"What do you have?"

"Protein shakes."

"What? No eggs, toast, cereal, pancakes…not even waffles?"

"This isn't I-Hop."

"Now, I do have to go to my apartment. You have no grub."

"You really think I'm just gonna let you walk out of here and leave?"

"Okay, you have serious trust issues." Johnny wasn't buying it. "Fine, if it makes you feel better, you can walk me to my apartment."

"I have a better idea. I'm staying in your apartment while you eat."

"Oh c'mon! That's not fair! You have all the good furniture."

"But my breakfast wasn't good enough for you."

"Fine…follow me…."

Johnny brought his gun and Azalea rolled her eyes as he always seemed to tote that gun around. She wished he could trust her for a change. It was bad enough that he held her hostage, now he's watching her every move and it made her uncomfortable. Being a hacker, she didn't have to deal with people face to face. It was better confronting people via the Web than in person. They reached her apartment and Azalea opened the front door.

"Just make your breakfast so we can go."

"Jesus, Mr. Brightside, would you chillax for three seconds?"

"No." there was silence between them until Azalea spoke.

"Um…I never really have company over. I usually dine alone…."

"You want me to eat with you?" he suspiciously eyed her.

"Kinda…I mean, being a hacker…you really don't have human interaction."

"Fine." he reluctantly sat in a stool by in the kitchen. He still had his gun out.

"Uh…can't really cook with you pointing a gun at me. Mind putting it up?"

"You really want to ask that question?"

"Okay, okay…your dad show up? He's been M.I.A. for a long time"

"I think you're forgetting rule number one."

"What do you want me to talk about? The weather?" she went into her refrigerator and grabbed some eggs, cheese, spinach, mushrooms and milk. "So, can I at least ask you how much I'm getting paid? I know I said yes, but you didn't tell me my salary."

"Just know that you will be paid."

"You really are a chatty-kathy. For once, I can talk to a real live human and being you are a man of so many words…." he decided to let her sarcastic comment go. Suddenly, out of the corner of Johnny's eye, he sees something move. He pointed the gun at the movement and realized it was a television screen.

"What the hell is that?"

"Oh, the show is about to begin!"

"What show?"

"Oh, apparently one of the people that live in digs like yours have nanny-cams. I just so happen to hack one of them and see what's going on. I know…voyeurism at it's worst, but it's so fun."

"You're spying on these people?"

"Not spying…just…observing from afar."

Johnny was about to say something but couldn't figure out what to say. Azalea was like no other woman he has met. That wasn't a compliment. He really thought one of her parents dropped her and she so happen to gain skills at hacking. Other than that, she was completely clueless to social cues. Johnny looked at the screen and saw it was indeed one of the suites that looked like his apartment. On one camera angle, he could see a little boy and an older woman playing with toy trucks. The other screen, however, was a little less innocent. It had an older man caressing the cheek of a young woman. Azalea finished making the breakfast.

"Who is that? His wife?"

"The nanny."

"What?"

"Yeah. Watch this!" she grabbed a keyboard and stroked a few keys. Suddenly, the camera followed the woman to the balcony and they saw the couple break apart.

"So, he's screwing the nanny."

"Yep. Oh, here's your plate."

"Is it poisoned?"

"It's not poisoned."

"How do I know it's not poisoned? You could've put something in my omelet while I was looking at your surveillance thing."

"Jeez, gimme your plate!" she stuck a fork into his omelet and ate a piece and proceeded to grab a morsel off her own plate. "See, no poison. The mob business has really got you wound up."

"You would be paranoid if you had enemies coming after you…not to mention the cops."

"Why do you do it…or is that violation of rule number one?"

"Bingo."

"How do you expect me to work for you if I don't know anything about you?"

"What about you? All you've told me was your name and you can hack."

"My name is Azalea Wilson. I was born in New York City. My dad was a physics teacher and my mother is a florist. That's why I have the flower name. They gave me my first computer at age eight. I went to cyber camp when I was thirteen…that's when I learned to juggle…."

"Alright, enough."

"If your guy calls you, that's exactly what your gonna get."

"You knew I was doing a background check on you? What? You hack my computer?"

"No, I was playing possum when you were on the phone." she smirked at him.

"For a supposed hacker, you're not a bad cook."

"Thanks. And for a super-paranoid mobster you're kinda okay."

"Just because I gave you a compliment doesn't mean you're in the clear. I can't trust you as far as I can throw you."

"Fair enough. So, you want a tour of my humble abode. You can check for hidden cameras and whatever your paranoid mind is thinking."

"I'm not paranoid."

"Sure you aren't." she grabbed the dishes and tossed them in the dishwasher.


	5. Chapter 5

Johnny didn't know how he ended up in Azalea's apartment checking every nook and cranny for listening devices and cameras. He still was not convinced that she wasn't working with the cops. Azalea kept rolling her eyes at Johnny's paranoia and walked him throughout the entire apartment. He thought her place was really odd and she was a really messy person. Her bedroom had paper all over the floor and empty beer bottles on the nightstand. He didn't even want to think about going in her underwear drawer. After the tour, they went back to his apartment to find Anthony was back from his little trip.

"Oh, I see you two have left the nest. How are you, Azalea?"

"She's fine."

"Uh…I can speak for myself, thank you. I'm fine."

"Where the hell did you go, old man?"

"Johnny, you won't believe it. I met the cutest broad when I was on my way to the gardening store. We sat down, got a drink together, and she invited me to her place for a little chat…if you know what I'm saying."

"Too much information." Johnny really wished his father wouldn't divulge in the details of his sex-life. He saw Azalea was about to loose her breakfast as she must've thought of a visual image of Anthony in bed.

"Anyway, I was walking back and I saw Jason Morgan checking out the crime scene. Heard someone did a real number on Sanchez."

"Could we not discuss this, now." he gestured to Azalea.

"What? She saw you blow Sanchez's chest all over the docks." Azalea didn't want that image of seeing the man being shot. It would be on her conscience that she saw a man die right in front of her and she's working for the very man who killed him.

"Enough! You know what, take your fucking plants and go plant them somewhere!"

"She's the one who said yes…I'm just sayin'." Anthony grabbed his keys and left the apartment once more.

Azalea sat on the sectional reevaluating her decision. She just agreed to work for a ruthless man. Well, maybe not that ruthless…his father, on the other hand, was the very definition of the word sociopath. Johnny wanted to say I told you so to Azalea but figured her remembering Sanchez die was enough to take in. Poor kid, he thought to himself. She was just going to get some groceries and now she's tangled up into his world.

"Johnny, is that man really…dead?"

"I warned you what happens in my world. This isn't some game or one of the files you hack! People die."

"I know that! I just never thought I would see the light die in someone's eyes. The man was scum, but he didn't need to die."

"Whatever…." Johnny walked over to the table, grabbed a tumbler, and poured some scotch.

"Isn't it a bit early for a drink?"

"No…that old man will drive anyone to drink."

"He haven't drove me to drink."

"Yet." Johnny a knock at the door and walked over to open it. It was one his henchmen holding a folder. It was Azalea's background check. He plucked it from the guys hand and discreetly opened the folder. Azalea rolled her eyes as the henchman stared at her not believing how someone could have strange hair like that. "Thanks, man."

"So, I'm assuming that's the background check on me?"

"Yeah…it says here you went to MIT, your parents still live in New York City. Your original hair color is dark brown."

"Yeah, yeah…is there anything else?"

"You were in a Little Miss Pretty Baby pageant?" he smirked as he saw Azalea's smirk disappear into stern, angry face. He had to admit, the look on her face was priceless.

"I was one years old! My mom made me do it. We quit after I lost…I lost pretty badly. No one was supposed to know that!" she grimaced when Johnny held up an old photo of her in her pageant clothes. "Damn it! I bet you have tons of embarrassing photos of you as a kid!"

A strange thought hit Johnny. He never had photos of his childhood because he didn't have a childhood. There was no birthday cake photos of little Johnny, or a sibling picture of him and Claudia. In fact, as soon as Anthony killed his wife, Johnny's mother, he burned whatever photos Maria took of her and her son together. He stared at the picture angry that the last remnants of his mother was turned to ash at the hands of Anothony Zacchara. Azalea could tell something was bothering him but decided in her better judgment to not say anything. Johhny finished looking at her file and threw it on his desk.

"You're clean...for now."

"Oh, goody." she deadpanned. "I can't believe you found that picture of me."Azalea went to her bag and pulled out her laptop. She pressed the power button and waited until her screen loaded.

"I'm not surprised..." Johnny looked over and saw Azalea's desktop background were a bunch of binary numbers.

"What did you expect, a Team Edward background? In your dreams."

"Whatever. Okay, I need for you to hack into a camera system."

"Which one?"

"Pozzulo's."

"The Italian restaurant? What, are you eyeing their meatball marinara recipe?"

"Shut up and do it."

"Sir, yes, sir..." Azalea began trying to locate the satellite. It took her a couple of seconds, but she found it. "Hmm...the person who set up this camera has encrypted a password."

"Is that a problem?"

"I'll get into another camera. One across the street. Ah-ha! Whoa, who's the muscle-head?"

"Jason Morgan. Sonny Corinthos' right-hand man."

"Let me guess, Sonny is another rival. Jeez, how many enemies do you have?"

"You don't wanna know." Azalea just shrugged and continued to watch the screen. Johnny noticed a familiar face entering the restaurant. "Zoom in!"

Azalea zoomed in and Johnny grew a smirk once he saw Dante with a stern look on his face. It would be so sweet if Sonny was the one pinned for the murder. He would finally have his vengeance for Claudia without getting his hands dirty. All he had to do was prevent his father from screwing it up. He never trusted his father ever since he was released from Pentonville. He then thought how skilled Azalea was in her craft. She was weird, but damn she could crack a code. Azalea wanted to find the person who uncovered her pageant past and bury them alive. After he was finished scoping out the place. He told Azalea that she needed to track his shipments. She rolled her eyes as he always demanded instead of asked nicely.

Dante had just questioned Sonny. It was hard not to tell is Sonny did the deed or not. The man was unstable and had many enemies. He knew he shouldn't feel such hate towards the man, but Sonny Corinthos is his father who happens to stand for the thing he is trained to rid the world of. He sat at his desk going over the crime scenes, but nothing jumped out at him. There was no prints on the gun, and all of Sanchez's belongings were on his person so it wasn't a mugging. Something didn't add up and Dante couldn't figure out why. Suddenly, Dante saw his mother entering into the precinct giving her son a soft smile.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"What? A mother can't visit her son at work? Give me a break, here."

"Fine. So, how are things with the doctor?"

"It's okay...you look a little troubled."

"We have this new case...one of the Sanchez's bit the bullet. We don't have a suspect yet..."

"And you think Sonny was behind this? Honey, you can't look to your father whenever something bad happens."

"I can't forget the man is head of the biggest organized crime ring in Port Charles. We both know what kind of man Sonny is, and what he is capable of. Remember not too long ago he put a bullet in my chest?"

"I don't wanna remember that. Dante, I know that look. You went to talk to Sonny. I know Sonny is a loose canon, but he's been through enough."

"Dante!" Ronnie called him over.

"Sorry, mom. I..."

"I know, I know. Police business." Dante watched his mom leave and he swiftly went to his partner's desk.

"What ya got?"

"Eye witness saw one of Zacchara's men at the docks hours after the murder. I'm guessing Johnny put a hit out on Sanchez and tried to clean it up."


	6. Chapter 6

Azalea was a few days into her job. She had gotten used to Johnny constantly demanding her to do tasks, though she did make sarcastic comments about him being a little nicer to her. He even let her do her hacking in her apartment. She was sitting at her desk tracking Johnny's shipments when she heard a knock and jumped up to get it. It was her new boss.

"You look like crap." Azalea noticed Johnny's paranoid face.

"You would be too if you had one of your men blow your cover."

"What happened?"

"Someone saw one of my men cleaning the area if you know what I mean..."

"Oh."

"A damn cop came at my door asking me about if I knew what happened to Eddie."

"What did you say?"

"What you think I said? I denied it. I'm gonna kill the little son of a bitch...that dumb bastard is putting my neck on the line!"

"What if you said it was self defense. The man was the one who pulled the gun on you."

"Yeah...except I have a bit of a reputation with the PCPD. There's no way in hell they would believe me...even if it is true."

"Okay, what if you had an alibi? I can contact a person who can make it look like you were somewhere else at the time."

"How?"

"I know a guy who knows a guy...wow, I really sound like I'm in the mob." Johnny didn't have time for Azalea's humor. "Okay, joking aside, I can have you at a movie theater somewhere. I just have to buy a ticket and change the date to make it look like you weren't there at the crime-scene."

"It won't work. They would be looking for witnesses."

"You're right. Oh, what if I say you were here. Your laptop crashed and you needed my help!"

"They're gonna ask how I know you."

"Damn, didn't think of that..."

"This is hopeless!" Johnny plopped down on Azalea's couch and threw a plastic cup across the room.

"Hey, go to your apartment if you want to abuse utensils!"

"I have more to worry about than that damn cup! One of men got caught! I could choke the son of a bitch to death! How stupid can he be?" Johnny leaned his head back on her couch.

Azalea just watched as Johnny looked like a broken man. The business he's in is running him down. He feels conflicted with so many emotions, but he knew he has to continue because this is all he knows. Azalea kinda felt sorry for the man. Though he was the very person to pull her into the business, she knew he would try to kill her if she gave any advice or worse...tried to console him. So, she opted for returning to the desk and watch the security cam. Johnny still had his head on the back of the couch when he heard strange noises He didn't know where it was coming from. He lifted his head and found the source of the noise was coming from Azalea's laptop. Her onyx eyes became focused as she looked after his finances.

"What the hell is that?"

"Your finances...duh."

"No, I mean the weird noise."

"It's this little thing we call music."

"That is not music. It's a bunch of sounds and noises...not human by the way."

"FYI, this is called Ambient music...and it's a genre. Just because I don't tinker away on that piano like you doesn't mean it doesn't relax me."

"How is this relaxing? It sound like pipes are dripping and...is that a record skipping."

"You know, you can always go to your apartment if you don't like my music."

"Whatever."

Johnny just stood up and went to Azalea's bathroom to splash water on his face. The interrogation with Dante shook him up pretty good. He really wanted to kill the guy who got caught. For a moment, he was actually considering having Azalea help him create an alibi but quickly scraped the plan. It would never be believable how he knew her. They were entirely two different people. He sighed as he turned on the faucet and splashed his face.

Azalea was looking at some surveillance of his warehouse. She loved her music. It was better than her listening to him play depressing melodies on the piano. It disrupted her hacking capabilities. She looked around for the cup he threw not sure where it landed. Azalea popped some more Sour Skittles into her mouth and started searching for fake documents just in case he changed his mind about the alibi plan. Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door and got up to see who it was.

"Who is it?"

"Azalea! I know you're in there!" Azalea recognized the angry voice on the other side of the door.

"Steve? What are you doing here?"

"Why are you hacking into my bank account?"

"What?" she was not very good at hiding her guilt. There she was standing face to face with her ex-boyfriend.

"God, we broke up like two months ago and you still haven't gotten over it. Look, I'm sorry if I cheated on you, but you have to move on."

"I have moved on, you jerk!"

"Really, adding fifty dollars more on my bar tab is moving on for you? Pathetic..."

Johnny had finished calming himself down when he heard a knock on the door. His first instinct was to pull out his gun. He hoped Azalea was not talking to the cops or tipped them off. As stood in the hallway carefully listening to the conversation at the door.

"I am not pathetic! You are an insipid, toothpick-shaped, little weasel! You create one dangerous malware and you think you're God's gift to female hackers..."

"At least I have a life. All you do is sit at that laptop and hope that a man comes out of that screen. Give me my money back!"

"Azalea, what's going on?" Azalea turned her attention and saw Johnny emerging from the hallway. What shocked her was that he was shirtless. He saw a tall, lanky guy who wore all black . Before Azalea could yell at him, Johnny gave her a hug and caressed her bottom.

"Who's this?"

"Johnny, what are you doing?"

"I was going to shower, and I wanted to know if you wanted to join me. Hi, I'm Johnny...and you are..."

"Steve." Steve looked stunned. Johnny wanted to laugh at how shocked the guy was to see him hanging on to Azalea. It was even funnier because he could tell Azalea was losing her mind as he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"What seems to be the problem, Steve?"

"Uh, nothing. I guess I will talk to you later, Azalea."

"Yeah, likewise." she let out a squeak as Johnny began to nibble her neck. "Okay, bye!" she slammed the door in Steve's face. She turned around and slapped Johnny on the arm. "What the hell were you doing?"

"Ow! You should've seen that guys face. Is that who you used to date? I could snap him like a twig."

"It still doesn't answer why you were pretending to be my boyfriend!"

"You loved it! It's payback for the pizza thing. Doesn't feel good to improvise on the spot, does it?"

"That's not fair! I had to prove to you that you could trust me. Ugh, I feel violated."

"That guy was being a jerk to you. I was trying to be nice."

"By taking your shirt off and molesting me?"

"Quit complaining. You loved every minute of it."

"If this was any other work environment, I could sue you for sexual harassment. Ew, my back came in contact with you chest hair. It's like I was lying on a rug..."

"You're not any supermodel either. I felt like I was caressing Casper. Do you ever go out in the sunlight?"

"I do, and you were not caressing...it was more like fondling...an unwanted fondling at that."

"Come on, you're practically thankful I got you out that situation. Insipid, toothpick-shaped, weasel? Very creative..." Johnny sat on Azalea's couch and propped his feet on her table.

"Shut up. I'm going to take a shower...and put your shirt back on!"

"Aw, sweetheart, I thought I was joining you..."

"Not funny!" she stormed off in a huff while Johnny was cracking up.


	7. Chapter 7

Johnny was walking around Port Charles grabbing a bite to eat. He knew it wouldn't take long for either Jason or Sonny to suspect he was the guy who offed Sanchez. Hell, even Sonny's cop offspring was grilling him the other day. He was even less surprised when he saw Sonny coming towards his direction. It wasn't like Sonny to take a stroll in Port Charles. Great, just what he needed. He already pushed his buttons by starting a fake relationship with Kristina plus the added bonus of Michael wanting to have a career in the mob business. Johnny had just finished getting a to-go bag when he was stopped by Sonny.

"Hey, Johnny..."

"Cut the crap, Sonny. What do you want?"

"I don't know. Maybe tell me why Sanchez ended up dead on the docks?" he could tell Sonny's patience was waning and he wanted answers.

"Really? Didn't know..."

"Didn't know...yeah, so I guess the fact that one of your men was spotted lurking around the scene of the crime was just a coincidence."

"That's hearsay."

"What are you, a lawyer now? One of my shipments ended up missing and just reappeared near the crime-scene. Now, I remember we both agreed on a truce. You really want to go back on that?"

"I really don't have time for this. My meal's getting cold." Johnny just loved making Sonny squirm.

"Your last meal if you don't stop trying to pin that murder on me!"

"Are you threatening me, Corinthos?"

"You damn right I am. Stay out of my way, Johnny, and tell your psycho father to do the same!"

"He's not my responsibility. Though, wouldn't blame him. Michael did off his only daughter...not to mention she married scum like you."

"I'm trying to be as patient as I can...one warning, stay out of my way."

"And what if I don't? Are you gonna bump me off like you did to Claudia?"

"I didn't kill her!"

"No, you brainwashed your son to the point that he bludgeoned my sister with an ax. Don't worry, Sonny, I'll stay out of your way. Just as long as you do the same." Johnny left with a smug satisfaction that he got under Sonny's skin. Sonny had to refrain from pulling out his gun and blowing Johnny's brains out. Johnny didn't know how many times he had gotten lucky. Sonny would make sure that next time he's not. Max and Milo came around the corner once they saw Johnny pass them.

"Hey, Boss. We saw Johnny. Everything okay?"

"What took you two so long. Johnny could've wasted me by this time!"

"Sorry, Boss. Won't happen again."

"I want you two to tail Johnny Zacchara. I want you know his every move. That son of a bitch killed Sanchez and I want proof!"

"You got it, Boss."

Azalea was in her apartment plugging away at her laptop. Johnny had asked her get the official police report in the homicide of Eddie Sanchez. It took her all night and several attempts to not be detected. So much, that she didn't get a wink of sleep. The whole night was filled with her downing Mountain Dew and Sour Skittles. Azalea continued to type away creating a phantom IP address feeling her caffeine high slow down making her crash. She heard the knock at the door and knew it was Johnny. She was still furious with him for that stunt he pulled in front of Steve. She opened the door glaring at him.

"Come on! It's been a few days since that thing. You're still pissed? Remind me to never do a favor for you."

"Yes. And, by the way, you looked like a male hooker I hired to play my boyfriend. I got the police report for you..." she yawned.

"You're tired?"

"Screw...you. You know what, I'm too tired to argue. So far, they couldn't find any conclusive fingerprints or DNA. Eddie was last seen heading towards a bar called Jake's? The gunshot wound destroyed his heart and major organs..." Johnny could tell Azalea was getting sick by each detail she told him. He knew the kid didn't have the stomach for it. A small part of him didn't either.

"Spare yourself the details." Azalea sat down on her couch to catch her breath. She didn't even know her breathing had labored. "I got something to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"I know this business can be tough, but you have to think of it as kill or be killed."

"I know." just like that Johnny saw her smile, but he can see it. Her onyx eyes looked so sad and lost. "I might eat later...I just need a nap. I was up all night for your ass..."

"Fine, though you didn't have to agree to...never mind, take the rest of the day off. You look like shit."

Thanks, asshole." Azalea gave a half-smile. Johnny smiled and left her food sitting on the table as he left her apartment. Azalea's smile faded once Johnny closed the door. She felt as if she was at the crime-scene all over again telling the horrendous details.

Johnny left Azalea's apartment and headed to his own. His mind was on Azalea. He felt guilty for pulling her into such a life. Though he wanted to take the blame, it was Azalea's choice to work for him. Johnny turned his attention to Sonny Corinthos. He did get a kick out of ruffling Sonny's feathers a bit. The man deserved so much more for being the cause of Claudia's death. He saw Anthony tending to his orchids which annoyed him to no end. The man values the life of plants than he does human life.

"You look happy today. I'm pretty sure the food from Kelly's hasn't gotten any better. Though the food is more palatable than the garbage they serve in Pentonville." Johnny's wished he was still rotting in Pentonville right now instead of being Mr. Greenthumb.

"I saw Sonny. He's not happy that one of his shipments ended up at the crime scene. Don't you think stealing something from his warehouse and planting it at the crime-scene is a little bit much?"

"It's perfect. Sonny was his biggest threat. Why not point the cops in his direction? Gets the cops off the backs of the real people responsible for it...us."

"Maybe too perfect. Though, I did love to see the little worm squirm. I saw Azalea." Anthony knew that tone. He had to be weak and have a conscience for corrupting Azalea.

"How is the lovely little fuchsia-haired beauty?"

"She got into the PCPD records. They didn't find any conclusive DNA or fingerprints."

"That's good. Now they have more reason to believe Sonny was the one who bumped Sanchez off."

"Why did you ask Azalea to work for me? She obviously don't have the stomach for this business."

"I thought she could handle it. I mean, what she does is on the same spectrum in the line of work we do."

"No, it's not. Azalea just steal information from people. We actually kill them." with that thought, Johnny saw how much of a monster he was. He killed a man who had children and a wife. He was becoming more like Anthony by the second. He was callous, not caring who got hurt in the process. Azalea saved him from completely shutting the world off. Her naïve view of the world made him forget all the sins he made in his life.

"You sound like you have a thing for the girl. Johnny, I can see having a few nights of passion with the girl, but falling for her. She knows that you killed Eddie Sanchez right in front of her. You can't trust someone with that much leverage over you."

"I know that...I just think what we're doing is not right. Look, I'm going to take a shower. Try not to get into any more trouble. I have enough shit to deal with already."

Johnny went upstairs to his bedroom closing the door behind him. Kicking of his shoes, he made his way to his luxurious bathroom. He turned on the faucet stepping back to undress and to wait for the water to heat. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his reflection in one of the mirrors on his bathroom. He despised the man looking back at him. This man was cold and had no room for remorse. He ended Sanchez's life without thinking of the consequences.

Once all his clothes were off, Johnny stepped into the shower loving the nearly scolding hot water beat against his shoulders. He wished that water could wash away all the past sins he's committed. His mind turned to Azalea again. She was like some dark angel. In a way, she commit crimes that have potential to harm people and disrupt their lives. On the other hand, he could tell by her sullen onyx eyes that she was not ready for his world. Always looking over your shoulder, claiming territory like an animal, having to make hard choices that could either give you more power or destroy you altogether.

His father always exaggerating. There was no way he liked Azalea. She was too strange for him. He would never like her in a thousand years. For one, her hair made her look child-like and Johnny wanted a woman. A woman like Olivia. He tried to fill the void with Lisa if she wasn't obviously devoted to the 'saintly' Dr. Patrick Drake. He hated himself for ruining their relationship over some stupid beef with Sonny. Only, if wasn't just some stupid beef. It's building an empire knowing you could hold the fate of Port Charles in your hand with just the right decisions. Anybody would be tempted to lie, cheat and steal to achieve that goal.


	8. Chapter 8

Azalea woke up after her nap. It was bound to happen...she had a nightmare about the killing. She wished she could erase Johnny and Eddie fighting on the docks, Johnny grabbing the gun and shooting Eddie. That memory will stay with her forever. She was starving and was about to make a sandwich when she realized Johnny left her some takeout dinner. Suddenly, she felt sick thinking about how wrong it was to receive food from the very man that blackmailed her into doing his bidding. She grabbed a hoodie and her wallet before walking towards the door.

Johnny was in his apartment noticing Anthony wasn't around. He wondered where he could be and how much trouble he got into. It was futile telling the man to not stir up trouble. Anthony Zacchara was dead-set on avenging Claudia's death. Though, Johnny found it highly ironic since the man spent his days calling his sister a 'treacherous bitch' and how she was a 'traitor' to the Zacchara family. Part of the time, he wanted Sonny to suffer as much as Anthony did when he lost the one person who he came to for comfort. Walking towards the table filled with bottles of scotch, Johnny heard a knock at the door. Looking through the peephole, a smirk formed.

"Hello, Carly." he knew she probably had a fight with Sonny or she knew Michael wanted in on the crime business. "What do I owe the pleasure this evening?"

"Cut the crap, Johnny. We both know why I'm here."

"Enlighten me."

"Tell Michael no deal. I know my son has been asking to work for you since Sonny turned him down. I want you to do the same thing."

"Michael's a grown boy. He can make that decision on his own. Who am I to turn him down when he says yes?"

"You say no because I'm his mother. I will not have my son be in the middle of you and Sonny's rivalry! There are ways to make you stop."

"Are you threatening me, Carly?" Johnny quirked up an eyebrow at her.

"I don't need to threaten a person into doing what I want. I have...other means of persuasion..." she softly placed one hand on his collarbone sliding it down in a slow sensual motion. Johnny just got an idea. He knew the one thing that would make Sonny lose his mind was if he slept with Carly. Sonny held an odd possession over Carly despite the fact they are no longer together and often had many partners after.

"What kind of persuasion are we talking, here?" he brushed his fingers down the side of her arms. Carly closed the space between them and stood higher to whisper in his ear.

"In your dreams, Zacchara." she pulled her hand away from his chest stepping back with a smug grin. "Now, I really do have to be going. I trust you will make the right decision?"

"It's for Michael to decide." suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Johnny was a bit glad to save him from the bulge that was forming in his jeans. He left Carly in the middle of the living room to open the door. He was shocked to see Azalea and she had the food he bought for her.

"I came by to give you this. Jake's is really not my thing...you can have it or throw it away."

"Keep it."

"No, I was going to get something else to eat..." Azalea paused when she saw a blonde woman standing in the middle of his living room. The woman looked shocked that one, she had fuchsia-colored hair, and two, Johnny knew her. Azalea felt uncomfortable under the woman's stare. "Hi. I didn't know you had company. I should be going now."

"You know what, Johnny. I think I'm gonna go." Johnny heard Carly from over his shoulder. "Maybe we can discuss this some other time? Think about what I said." Carly slipped past Azalea and was gone.

"Why are you returning your dinner? All you ever eat is junk. Would do your body some good to eat actual food."

"Who was that woman?"

"No one you should be concerned with. Why? You jealous?" Johnny couldn't help that smirk that was forming at his lips. He saw Azalea physically grimace.

"Don't make me barf. I was just curious."

"Curious? She's no one to be curious about."

"Oh, really? Because the way she was smirked at you, she had you eating out the palm of her hand."

"You really have to stick to rule number one."

"There you go with that damn rule. Why do you have that rule anyway? Scared that someone will know find out some weird quirk about you?"

"What weird quirk?"

"I don't know...you having an extensive Barbie collection?"

"Trust me, it's not that. Besides, why do you want to know so much about me?"

"Because I want to know the man who's blackmailing me to work for him. You go on and on and on about trust. It works both ways, boss."

"You don't want to know anything about me. It's best that you don't."

"What? I already know what you're capable of. I saw that with my own damn eyes!"

"I'm only saying this once...back off."

"Or what, you're gonna kill me like Eddie?"

"Shut up!" Azalea was stunned at Johnny's sudden outburst of anger. She knew then to just drop the subject for now. Johnny didn't know how all that rage was unleashed on innocent Azalea. All he could see was her scared little eyes. "Don't you have to grab something to eat?"

"Yeah...I should go." Azalea was still shocked and at a lost for words. She turned to walk away, when Johnny reached out for her arm.

"Azalea, I'm sorry for yelling at you like that. It's been a tough day..."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said...you know what, I'm gonna go and grab dinner. It was thoughtful of you for bringing me something from Jake's. Sorry about...okay, going now."

"I'm really am sorry..." Azalea just nodded and gave a half-smile as she left.

Johnny closed the door running a hand over his face. He even surprised himself at how angry he got. The guilt of killing Sanchez and blackmailing Azalea was wearing him down. Maybe he was like the old man more than he thought. He could see himself hitting Azalea, making her cry...all the things Anthony inflicted on his mother, on Claudia, on him. He groaned as he made his way back to the scotch, grabbed a tumbler and drowned his sorrows. Azalea knew she shouldn't have pushed him that far. She has told him every little detail about her. Hell, he even did a background check, but to her Johnny Zacchara was still a mystery. He was a ticking time-bomb and one wrong move could end her. Plus, the guilt of knowing what happened to Sanchez corrupted her whole moral being. She decided to stop focusing on her boss and all his problems and get something to eat. She walked down hallway making up her mind to order in Chinese take-out. She was unaware that Max and Milo had tailed her ever since they heard her say Sanchez's name. Max dialed Sonny's number to tell him what he's heard.

"Yeah."

"Boss, we got something that I think you are gonna love."

"What's that?"

"Johnny was the man who shot Sanchez."

"I know that, you idiot! You have proof?"

"We got a witness. It's some girl with strange looking hair. She knows Johnny somehow. Uh, someone else was there in Johnny's apartment. Carly was over, but I wasn't sure why."

"What the hell was Carly doing at that slime-ball's place?" Sonny was not pleased. He would have to confront Carly later, but the more important matters. Like, who was the mysterious girl at Johnny's. "Okay, more about the girl. What did she say that makes you think she knows about the shooting?"

"They were arguing...don't know what, but she said 'kill me like Eddie' or something like that."

"Does she live in the apartment?"

"Yes, we are tailing her now. What do you want us to do, boss?"

"We need to get her. Something isn't adding up. She saw him commit a crime and she shows up at his door knowing he could bump her off. There's more to her we don't know. Grab her and take her to the warehouse. I'll meet you there."

"But, boss. How are you going to do it without being seen? This is a busy apartment."

"I don't care how you do it. Make her know what will happen if she doesn't comply!"

"Okay, boss."

Azalea had just made it to her apartment tired of her hearing her stomach growl. She decided to order shrimp lo-mein with a side of egg rolls and won-tons. She tried to think of something else, but all she could think about was Johnny. Why was he such an angry man? She knew why...she wasn't that stupid. Anthony was source of Johnny's anger. She just wanted to know what he did that shaped Johnny into the man he was today. Was Anthony always the manipulative jerk Johnny warns her about? Did Johnny rebel at one point. Did he wanted to be something else than a career criminal. She had to know...needed to know. She heard a knock on the door and knew her take-out had arrived. Once she paid the deliveryman, she dug into her shrimp lo-mein. After a few bites, Azalea heard another knock. It couldn't be the man, she already paid him. She figured it would be Johnny. He was the only one who knew where she lived. Make that him and Steve. She was holding her box of noddles while opening the door. She saw two scary men at her door. She recognized one man who was on one of the security cams she hacked into. It was Sonny's men. The other, slimmer male pointed a gun on Azalea.

"Not again..."


	9. Chapter 9

Johnny calmed his nerves and was lying on his sectional thinking. It would've been easier if he did have a Barbie collection. He wouldn't feel like such a monster. He was spawned from a monster. Johnny could never tell Azalea about his past. She could never know the real Anthony Zacchara...the man who shot his own wife in front of his son, the man who would call his own spawn a treacherous bitch, the man who was the cause of Johnny's problems instead of the solution. He didn't really want to think about it all. He decided to go over to Azalea's to see if the warehouse was okay...maybe look up on the Sanchez's. He hated to constantly bring up that man for Azalea. Maybe if he bombard her with the man she saw get killed, she would want to stop working for him. Of course, there was the question of what to do with her.

Azalea was blindfolded and tied in the back of some vehicle...most likely a car. She knew she shouldn't have opened that door. She was hoping for Johnny to have a more formal apology than the half-ass one he made earlier. That was wishful thinking. It was a struggle, but the two men had finally subdued and kidnapped her. She had no idea where she was going. More importantly, she had no idea how they knew she was connected to Johnny. She hasn't told a soul of what she knows. Maybe the blonde woman Johnny was with earlier had something to do with this. Nah, she looked more like Johnny's conquest than a mobster. All Azalea knew was that Johnny probably wouldn't save her. He would be in the clear for killing Sanchez. The car made an abrupt stop indicating they reached a destination. Azalea was pulled out of the car where she walked some paces before she was slung into a chair.

"This is the girl?"

"Yes, boss."

"Well, don't just stand there. Take the fucking blindfold off her! Tape too." Max did as he was told and took the tape off her mouth. Azalea could now see and her stomach did flip-flops as she surveyed her surroundings. She was in Sonny's warehouse. It was cold and smelled like coffee. This must be his cover-up for his real business. Sonny was sizing the girl up. She looked about in her early twenties, and very sleep-deprived. Her hair made her look even more strange. Her onyx eyes looked very scared...like a little lost animal. "How do you know Johnny Zacchara?"

"You're a skip the formalities kind of guy, huh?"

"For someone in the situation you're in, you really have a cool head on your shoulders."

"It's my defense mechanism. I usually project humor to hide my fear." she wanted to swat herself for telling him that information. Now he knew that she was terrified of him.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Sonny Corinthos."

"And you are?"

"Azalea Wilson. And who are the suits that ruined my shrimp lo-mein?"

"My bodyguards."

"You need two big men for me? I'm 110 soaking wet. What big mobster you must be...crap, I didn't mean to say that!"

"Enough stalling. How do you know who I am? And how the hell do you know Johnny Zacchara?"

"He's my neighbor. I just fixed his computer, I swear!"

"See, I can tell that you're lying. Your eyes are shifting. Now, I'm giving you another chance to tell me. How do you know Johnny Zacchara?"

Johnny had made it to Azalea's apartment, but didn't know how he would face her. He just unleashed rage unto her and knew it would be awkward between them. For fuck sakes, when he grabbed her arm she flinched from him like his skin was on fire. Johnny was about to knock on the door but noticed it was open. A strange feeling came over him. She would always have it locked and bolted. The poor girl was so paranoid that the FBI would find out about her activities. Johnny pushed the door open and saw her apartment was a mess. He walked in and almost slipped on the pile of noodles that spilled out of the takeout container. Something definitely was not right.

"Azalea?" no response. Johnny didn't know where she was or if someone had taken her. He was sure no one knew she witnessed him killing Eddie. He walked around her apartment and noticed the mess looked as if it had been a struggle. Azalea never mentioned that she was in danger. He searched her apartment looking into each room. No sign of her. Another thought popped into his head. What if Azalea was selling him out the the cops? He knew he couldn't trust her. Now, the only solution he had was to waste her, and he wasn't too comfortable with the idea. He was about to turn away when he saw something move on one of her security cameras. Johnny looked on as he saw a scared, tied-up Azalea. He realized she was being held in Sonny's warehouse.

Not even two seconds pass, and Johnny was out the door heading downstairs to his car. He didn't know how Sonny found out that Azalea witnessed Eddie's killing, but he would know next time to not make that mistake again. He cranked up the engine not sure why he wanted to save Azalea. She was the only factor that could link him to Eddie's death. With Azalea gone, he would be in the clear. So, what was he speeding through traffic to save her? Damn his conscience. He knew he would never forgive himself if she died. Plus, even if Azalea was eliminated, Sonny would make Johnny pay for pinning the murder on him. He reached the warehouse knowing it was under heavy surveillance. No doubt Sonny's idiot henchmen were guarding the place. They would definitely be oh so eager to manhandle him and throw him into the warehouse. Johnny cut off the engine and stepped outside. Sonny's men already had their guns trained on Johnny.

"Hello, fellas. Easy there. I'm unarmed." Johnny scoffed as one of the men did a rough pat-down to make sure. "Hey, watch the jewels!"

"He's clean." the man shouted to Sonny's other foot soldiers.

"I just want to talk to Sonny. Sorry I forgot to make an appointment..." he smirked but soon faded once he saw the man point a gun at him. "Just take me to him."

Azalea sat in the warehouse scared out of her mind. Sonny kept pushing her for information, but she never buckled. She swore if she made it out alive, Johnny was going to owe her...big time. She witnesses him murdering someone in cold blood, he blackmails her into working for him, she gets kidnapped, she's forced to keep a dangerous secret. Johnny had a long list to make up for. Staring at Sonny Corinthos, Azalea saw something in his eyes suggesting he didn't want to harm her, either. She often assumed mobsters were cruel, heartless bastards that killed at will. Damn women and children. She heard several pairs of footsteps coming into the warehouse. Her eyes went wide as she realized that the little small chance of Johnny saving her was coming true.

"Hello, Johnny."

"Corinthos. Didn't know you were into bondage. Carly didn't tell me that." Johnny gave a suggestive smirk that he knew would make Sonny angry. It always made him smile knowing he could bring the anger out of Sonny Corinthos by just simply implying that he and Carly slept together.

"Real funny, Johnny. Carly being at your apartment will have to wait. As of right now, I wanna know who is this girl that was at your door screaming about Eddie Sanchez?"

"Never seen the girl in my life."

"Johnny, that's not entirely true. Max and Milo were at your apartment building and saw this girl yelling about Eddie." Azalea immediately winced and knew she messed up. She couldn't look Johnny in the eye and knew he was steaming mad. Johnny kept a level head to not show Sonny he was guilty. "I thought we had a truce, Zacchara. I wonder why my son came right at my place of business and said I was a possible suspect...someone had to point him in my direction."

"You had me followed? Who's breaking the truce, now? And for the record, I never said your name. If Dante just so happens to think you're a suspect...oh well..."

"He wouldn't dare think it was me...unless he had someone planting that idea in his head."

"Maybe you don't really know your son. You'd be surprised at the times he suspected you. Anyway, you have no proof that I had anything to do with Sanchez being murdered.

"Oh, but I do. I have this young lady claiming that she fixed your computer, so you do know her. Plus, she obviously saw you kill Eddie."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Corinthos. Yes, she was fixing my computer, but that's all. She's the apartment geek. Everybody goes to her if they need their laptops fixed. You would know that Corinthos if you had any brains."

"It's true!." Azalea interrupted their stare-down. "I barely know him. He came to my apartment to ask about his laptop. Everyone does that. I guess me fixing laptops and computers get around fast. It had tons of malware and viruses on it. I'm telling you the truth. You know how much twink gay porn I had to delete from his hard-drive?"

"You know what, waste the girl." Azalea's eyes grew wide once Sonny had his head next to her head. Her breathing became labored. Johnny internally cursing himself for putting Azalea in further danger. He had to think of something to make Sonny not pull the trigger. "Jesus, Sonny. She's just an innocent, little kid. Shes practically tech-support. Just let the kid go."

"And why are you so caring whether I waste her not? I thought she was just some girl that fixed your laptop." damn, Sonny was quick. Johnny had to think up of something fast. There was no way he would buy that they were lovers...he didn't even believe it. "Why is she so damn important to you?"

"I thought we said no women and no kids. It's none of your business what relation she is to me. Just let her go. If not, I'll tell Kristina what kind of man her father is. The kind that would shoot innocent little girls."

"Shut up." Sonny's jaw flexed. Johnny smirked knowing he was getting under Sonny's skin. Perhaps, if he egged him on, Sonny would not point the gun at Azalea. She was Johnny's problem he had to deal with.

"Come on, shooting her would crush Kristina. You would be the monster she grew to know. The same man who would let an animal like Keifer touch her and beat the crap out her! How is Kristina, by the way?"

"Shut your mouth!"

"You don't give a damn about women! In fact, everyone that you claim to care about...you treat like shit. Kristina, Carly, Michael. Michael is so hell-bent on impressing you, and you turn him away from the business. He came to my apartment begging me for a job. I might give the poor kid a chance. Kristina, she's practically going by the whole Lolita playbook just to stick it to daddy."

"Shut up!"

"Carly, she's a real piece of work. You don't know how far she's willing to go just to have her son not be in our type of business!"

"Enough!" Sonny pointed the gun at Johnny. He was relieved that he at least provoked Sonny enough for him to take the gun off of Azalea. "Say another word and I will blow your brains all over this warehouse!"

Azalea watched in horror of the scene that unfolded in front of her. She went from seconds away from being dead to Sonny pointing the gun at Johnny. She was grateful for him to distract Sonny from her being a target, but she didn't want to witness another murder. A pang of disappointment hit Azalea as she watched Johnny say the most hurtful, vile things in order to provoke Sonny. She had to remind herself that Johnny was nowhere near cuddly, but she saw evidence of him being like his father. Johnny stared down the barrel of Sonny's gun knowing he made a stupid, but necessary move. His life was filled with corruption and violence. Azalea was still young and she had a naivety that wasn't completely destroyed by him. All the things Johnny had said swam in Sonny's head. He wanted Johnny dead. Johnny was no use if he was dead. Then the police would definitely make him to be the number one suspect in Eddie Sanchez's death.

"You know what, Johnny? I'm not gonna give you the satisfaction of pinning yet another murder on me...even if it will end your pathetic life. No, I want you to suffer for as long as I want you to."

"Don't tell me you're gonna pussy out one me...getting soft, Corinthos. Not that you had any balls to begin with." Johnny moved slightly when Sonny pushed the gun further into his face.

"You can say all the things to get me pissed at you...I'm not gonna waste you. That would be too easy. I don't have enough to prove that you killed Eddie, but I will and I will end you. I don't know what this girl is to you, but you better hope she doesn't cross my path again. Max, Milo...untie the girl. Johnny, you try to come after me again, there will be full out war."

Sonny lowered his gun at his side and Johnny sighed in relief. Azalea rubbed at her wrists happy that both her and Johnny's lives were spared. She knew that whatever truce Johnny and Sonny had was now gone, and it would be more complicated for her. Johnny looked over at Azalea seeing the scared look in her eyes. She knew he was angry at her and possibly could get rid of her. Though he saved her from Sonny, she was still terrified as to what was to become of her once she was alone with Johnny.

Azalea stood up on shaky legs feeling nauseous at all she's witnessed. She followed Johnny out of the warehouse to his car with a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. Johnny was not going to let her go without doing something to her. She outed him as the killer. There was no turning back. She knew Johnny was angry and that spelled trouble for Azalea. Johnny didn't know whether to be angry or worried for Azalea. He wanted to protect her, but now she was becoming a liability with her conscience. The ride back to the apartment was quite and awkward. They had both faced death, and now they don't know where they stood. Was Azalea to continue working for Johnny or would he make good on his promise to kill her? A wave of anxiety washed over Azalea as she thought of all the colorful ways he could kill her. She shuddered at the possibilities.


	10. Chapter 10

Johnny and Azalea were outside the apartment when he turned the engine off. He boiled with anger and felt paranoia run down his spine. Now, the war between him and Sonny had commenced, though it was never really over to begin with. He could not look at Azalea. He knew bringing her into his mess would complicate things, and now Azalea gave Sonny more ammunition to have the cops come after him. They got out the of the car and Azalea walked inside with her head hung low. She knew what was coming. He was going to explode. They got on the elevator without saying a word to one another. Azalea was about the press for her floor when she heard Johnny.

"Don't even think about it!" Azalea flinched as she knew they were taking the elevator up to his floor. Johnny was the first off the elevator while Azalea followed behind. A whimper escaped her as Johnny took her arm and dragged her down the hallway. Once the door was opened, Johnny flung Azalea into the apartment. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I'm sorry..." she couldn't even look Johnny in the eyes.

"How stupid can you be?! Jesus, Sonny knows what happened to Eddie because you couldn't keep your damn mouth shut!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Don't! Don't say you're sorry. You can't just blurt that information so casually...I told you I had a lot of enemies and if they knew...did it ever occur to you that someone might have been listening to our conversation?! Eddie's death had been all over the news, all over the papers! Someone hearing the words 'kill me like you did Eddie' are gonna figure it out and know it's me."

"I didn't mean to. Why did you have me work for you in the first place?!"

"Let's get this straight. My idiot father offered you the damn job. And what about you? You're the one who actually said yes knowing what kind of danger you would be exposed to! You had plenty of chances to say no..."

"As if I could! You don't tell the guy you just saw murder someone no. I would be dead! I am so sorry that I said the truth! Because, believe it or not, you shot someone on the docks and I watched! I watched him die while you cowardly destroyed the evidence."

"This is not some game, Azalea! Not everything is flowers and puppies! That man was almost going to splatter my brains all over that dock if I hadn't stopped him, in case you've forgotten, so don't even try that whole 'Eddie was innocent' bullshit with me."

"What bullshit? The fact that despite him being a common career criminal I saw that he was a man that possibly had kids, a wife, family? Did you think about what was going to happen to his wife? Did you ever stop and think about how she was going to have to explain to her children that their father died? Just because you have a grudge against the world doesn't mean everybody else does!"

"You know nothing about me!"

"Because you never tell me! It's your stupid rule you keep warning me about. I mean, who does that?!"

"I told you that you didn't want to know about me. You were so damn sheltered. I wasn't so lucky to have both my parents. You know what, I'm done. Get the hell out..."

"Aren't you paranoid that I might go to the cops?"

"I know you won't. I know that you're a hacker. You go to the cops, I tell them everything about you. I mean everything." with that said, Azalea just nodded and walked out the apartment.

Johnny slammed the door after Azalea and walked over to this liquor table and grabbed a tumbler. His head was pounding, and he knew his beloved scotch would ease the pain. Now, he had to think of another plan to cover his tracks. Sonny knew that he killed Eddie Sanchez, but with Sonny's reputation, the Port Charles Police Department would have trouble believing him. He knew he shouldn't be upset at Azalea, but she fucked up by accidentally squealing in the hallway where Sonny's men could overhear. If only he could trust Azalea enough to tell her why he's so fucked up. He could never tell her how much of a monster Anthony Zacchara is...she would be crushed. His father. He still haven't seen the bastard and he was worried. No, he didn't care for the man's safety. He was not sure what his father was up to. The man had a tendency to make a bad situation worse. He could never call Anthony his father. A father wouldn't hold a gun up to his little boy to try to take him out. Johnny heard a knock, and with his newly-risen anger he stomped to his door and opened it.

"What the hell do you want?!" he was caught by surprise that it wasn't his father nor was it Azalea. It was Dante Falconari standing at his threshold. Great, just what he needed to top off his already shitty day.

"Surprised to see me, Johnny? Came I come in?"

"What for?"

"You know, something isn't adding up. I got a dead body, no evidence, but I got Sonny's shipments and one of your men at the crime scene. I tried to ask Sonny, but all he said was talk to you. Wanna tell me what I'm not getting?"

"You're the detective, you tell me."

"Real funny. You know what I think? I think you popped Eddie and tried to frame my father for the crime. See, I knew Sonny had a beef with the Sanchez's, but I also know that they have one with you too, Johnny."

"So. I had beef with the Sanchez's. Doesn't prove I killed Eddie."

"It may not have been you...maybe you had one of your foot-soldiers do the deed, am I hitting in the ball-park?"

"I had nothing to do with Eddie being killed! The man had enemies besides me and Sonny. Go ask them!"

"If it was someone else, why was one of your men at the crime scene?"

"I didn't send him there. Maybe he was there to see if the news reports were true."

"Do you think I'm stupid, Johnny?"

"What do you want me to say? I already told you I was here in the apartment when it happened. If you're done with the questions, you can see yourself out."

"This isn't over, Zacchara. I will find out the truth and either you or Sonny or the both of you are gonna pay for the crime." Johnny held a smug facade as Dante left the apartment. Once the door closed, Johnny knew he had to pin the murder on his man. It was a shame that he had to sell out one of his best men to get the cops off his back, but that's how the business worked. The man was careless anyway and dead weight. His mistake caused Dante and the PCPD to make him the main suspect.

Night fell and Johnny was in bed sleeping...or at least trying to. He tossed and turned for awhile planning how he was to cover his tracks. He even thought about what to do if Azalea did actually go to the cops. While sleeping, Johnny could've sworn he heard a faint banging sound. He was half-way into his sub-conscience and didn't know if he was dreaming. He knew he was not dreaming once he heard the loud banging again. Groaning at the lost of sleep, Johnny sat up and glanced at the clock. 2:28am. He pushed himself out of bed and heard the banging again. Whoever it was he was gonna kill for disturbing his sleep. Walking downstairs, he stumbled to the front door opening it to find Azalea leaning against the frame.

"You..." Azalea said in a low mumble as she pushed past Johnny and headed straight for his liquor. Johnny was about to yell at her when he smelled the all too familiar smell of alcohol and cigarettes.

"You smell like a bar."

"So." Azalea went straight for a bottle of scotch skipping getting a tumbler and chugged it.

"Easy!" Azalea clumsily pushed Johnny. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I went to a bar to re-evaluate my life. No, it wasn't Jake's! Jake's suck! You could never say thank you...it's always 'do this, Azalea! do that, Azalea!', and do I get a 'thank you'? No!"

"What do you want me to say? Thank you?"

"I was just walking from grocery store and you had to put your dock on my business!"

"You mean..."

"I don't care!" Azalea was frantically waving her arms in anger. Johnny would've found it funny if he wasn't so pissed. "Don't worry, I didn't blab to anybody that I saw you kill Eddie...oops, better not do it again..." she put a hand over her mouth trying to stop her drunken giggle.

"You need some coffee..." he ran a hand over his face as his temples throbbed.

"I'm fine! What? You saying I can't handle my liquor?! I'm not a kid... you kept telling Sonny that. Stop calling me a kid! I'm twenty-three years old! I'm a woman! See?" Azalea tried to lift her shirt but her coordination was off. She almost stumbled but she was able to lift her shirt to reveal a black bra. "There!"

"I don't have time for this...put your fucking shirt down!"

"I just want my life back. I was fine just sitting in my apartment stealing information for the hell of it...no, I had to get caught up in your mobby business. Mobby..." she snickered.

"Sleep it off, Azalea."

"I'm not sleepy...you know, you mobsters are so annoying. You and Oil-Slick. Competing for what? You have to lie about your business and you get innocent people in the cross-hairs! Like me! And now..." Azalea started laughing. "I can't even tell my parents that I consort with a career criminal...hello mom and dad...how I met Johnny? I saw him kill another man..." Azalea laughed again and didn't stop. She doubled over and flung herself on the sectional for a gut-busting laugh. Johnny wanted to ring her neck, but looked on and saw Azalea started crying...turning into shaking sobs. "Sonny is gonna come after me and it's all your fault! I think I'm gonna be sick!"

"Jesus!" Azalea had vomited on Johnny's carpet and part of the sectional. He was trying to hold her hair back but she yelled at him to not touch her. He rolled his eyes as he grabbed an ice bucket and held it in front of her. She mumbled a thanks and vomited soon after. Johnny knew he had to take care of her. Damn, he really was getting soft.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning Azalea awoke to a loud clatter. She thought it was her alarm but knew her alarm didn't sound anything like the noise she just heard. Azalea still had her eyes closed but something was off. She wasn't in her bed and the sheets on her felt plush, more luxurious. Azalea opened her eyes and was horrified when she realized that she was in Johnny's apartment. How did she get there? Her head was pounding and she felt nauseous. Then she remembered. She got completely smashed and showed up at his place.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Johnny knew Azalea would have a pretty bad hangover. He spent the rest of the night watching over Azalea as she vomited and sobered up.

"Ugh, not so loud..."

"What? You wake me up in the middle of the night, and now you want your beauty sleep?!"

"You're being loud on purpose. Ow!"

"Here." Johnny gave her two aspirins and a glass of water to which Azalea immediately gulped them down. Azalea noticed that she slept on the sectional and the cushion on the far end was missing. Also, Azalea could smell some sort of floral carpet cleaner in the spot under the missing cushion.

"One of the cushions on your sectional is missing."

"You puked all over it."

"Sorry. I guess I got a little carried away."

"I'll say. I hope this is the last time I have to do this."

"I don't even remember having that much to drink." all Azalea heard from Johnny was a grunt.

"What do you remember?"

"I was...coming to your apartment. After we got back from the warehouse and after the fight, I went to a bar. I had...maybe...well, I lost count after the fifth shot. I remember wanting to tell you off. My head feels like a soccer match going on inside..."

"Having that much to drink will do that to you." Azalea just glared at him after his smart remark.

"I don't even remember what I was doing here."

"Well, to refresh your memory, you came at my door at two in the morning drunk off your ass, by the way. You damn-near depleted my good, and very expensive, bottle of scotch, then you started yelling at me. After that, you puked." Johnny didn't want to tell her the whole of what she said and did. It was best for her to not know.

"I really did all of that?"

"Who's Oil-Slick, anyway?"

"Huh?"

"Last night, you mentioned me and some person named Oil-Slick." Azalea face scrunched up as she tried to remember. Finally, it came to her.

"Oh, that's the name I've given to Sonny. After he...had me kidnapped, I kept looking at his head and noticed he had a lot of gel in it...hence the name Oil-Slick." even Johnny found that amusing.

"Good to know."

"I'm really sorry."

"You didn't hurt my feelings if that's what you're worried about. I've been called worse things before." he didn't add that it was Anthony who had said them."

"No...I mean I'm sorry for pretty much blowing your cover. For now on, I won't say anything about...you know..."

"Azalea..." Johnny wanted to tell her that he should be the one to apologize. He did ruin her life after all with his mob business. However, he had a business to keep and to appear soft was an automatic sign of weakness. "why don't you go get cleaned up. I'll give you some spare pajamas." Johnny could see the frustration in her eyes as she was expecting and apology or, at least, some veiled attempt at one.

Azalea just let out a defeated sigh and walked up the stairs. Johnny didn't want to seem callous, but he had to appear to not care about her. What Azalea said last night really shook him. He had put her in danger. His lifestyle was not fit for anyone to live. One thing that keeps nagging at him was why he didn't kill Azalea. By now, she would've been dead the many times she's messed up, questioned him, blown his cover. He could never have to heart to kill her. It frustrated him that whenever he looked at Azalea, he would feel the need to protect instead of harm her. Johnny was too into his thoughts to not notice the door being opened. He jerked his head around and saw it was his Anthony.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"I was away."

"For almost two days?!"

"You missed me?"

"You wish. I figured you croaked in some alley, but that was wishful thinking."

"Glad to see you too, Johnny. Anyway, you look like shit."

"Azalea was here last night and..."

"Azalea? You're sleeping with her?"

"Not like that, old man. Last night, she came here drunk and she got sick...she was sleeping it off." Johnny didn't think Anthony deserved to hear why Azalea was drunk, but decided to at least inform the bastard. "While you were...I don't even care what you were doing...Azalea didn't know Sonny's idiot goons were tailing me and she sort of blurted that I killed Eddie Sanchez. They kidnapped her in the process."

"You didn't let Corinthos bump her off?! He could've been brought down by her murder and Sanchez's. You didn't see the big picture here. Quit being so damn soft and use this to your advantage!"

"Wait one damn minute, pops!" he used 'pops' in the most ironic way possible. "You can't just disappear for two days and, suddenly, come waltzing in here demanding what I should and should not be doing! It's not like Dante wouldn't figure it out that it was me. He already thinks I'm the number one suspect in Sanchez's murder. Having Sonny kill Azalea wouldn't make a damn bit of difference. Besides, if Sonny killed Azalea, don't you think the police would wonder why a young girl had ties to the two most dangerous men in Port Charles? They would want to know why she was even at Sonny's warehouse to begin with."

"Okay, so I didn't think of that. Just don't let her make that mistake again. By the looks of you, I say it must have been one close call."

"I would say you don't know what it's like, but you obviously know the feeling of staring down the barrel of Sonny's gun."

"That son of a bitch tried to kill you?!"

"Relax, he obviously didn't. I had to distract him from pointing the gun at Azalea. I know what you're thinking, it was a stupid move. Azalea's very resourceful and she can get things that I normally wouldn't even think of obtaining. Don't forget you had me hire her for that reason. Plus, the kid...Azalea shouldn't be punished for my mistake."

Azalea was in the bathroom still feeling slightly hungover. She didn't know what possessed her to get sloppy drunk and show up at Johnny's place. Being blackmailed into hacking for a mobster took its toll on her. She couldn't figure out how someone so tough could be so fragile. She scoffed and thought of the answer: Anthony. Speaking of, as Azalea was drying off, she heard that chilling voice of Anthony. The man had the sweetest voice yet had the sickest mind full of malice. As she was putting on her clothes, she rolled her eyes at hearing Anthony scolding Johnny for preventing Sonny from killing her. She finished dressing and waited for the right moment to walk downstairs.

"Good morning, Azalea. Sorry I've been a little absent lately. So, Johnny was just telling me you got a little bit hammered last night."

"I'm fine." Azalea couldn't help the clipped tone of her voice, but the man wanted her dead and now was feigning his concern. Well, two could play that game. "Yeah, Johnny was here to make sure I was okay. I'm sorry you had to lose your sleep, Johnny. And, thank you for being concerned, Mr. Zacchara." Azalea knew she had to control the bile that rose in her throat after calling that monster by his name.

"No problem. Just make sure you don't slip up next time." she knew he wast talking about her outing Johnny as Sanchez's killer and not her drinking.

"Johnny, thank you...for last night. I know it wasn't easy baby-sitting the drunk girl throughout the night...thanks. And sorry about your couch...and your floor."

"Don't be sorry. Hey, I was young once. And to think all you did was pound nothing but sugary sodas."

"Ha-ha. Laugh it up. I'm gonna go and check on a few things if you want."

"No, go back to your apartment and rest. Better yet, take the day off."

"Really? Even after I puked all over your sectional and floor and..."

"Yes."

"Are you gonna make me work overtime if I do?"

"Just get outta here before I change my mind."

"Okay, boss. You really do love giving out orders." Johnny glared at her. "Okay, leaving..."

"Bye." once Azalea left, Johnny turned to his father. He rolled his eyes knowing Anthony had a smug look on his face. He knew Johnny had a soft spot for the little hacker.


	12. Chapter 12

It was a week after Azalea's drunken incident and she was in her apartment doing her usual spying on Johnny's warehouse, seeing if she could crack codes for fun, tap into confidential files. What else would be going on in her life on a Friday night. After stocking up on Mountain Dew and regular Skittles, the store was out of her usual, Azalea decided to spend all night doing what she loved...solving puzzles. It was pretty much routine until she got bored with phishing for information and decided to concentrate more on her boss. Azalea was checking his accounts when she paused at a discrepancy.

"That's weird." she thought aloud.

Azalea noticed that some of the money from Johnny's account would be transferred to an unnamed account. It wouldn't be a surprise given her boss' occupation. Something was off. Looking back at past transactions, Azalea discovered the same amount of money missing being deposited at the same account once or twice a week. What was even more eerie the fact the money would coincide with the dates Anthony would disappear. It should be simple, right? Anthony could be stealing some of Johnny's money, but it would be unlikely. In his sick way, Anthony loved Johnny, and would want Johnny to keep the Zacchara Empire going. What could it be? Azalea didn't know if she should inform Johnny of what she's discovered. It could be something he's not telling her. For all she knew he could be paying someone off who may have witnessed the murder. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to at least ask.

Deciding to continue her search, Azalea also noticed another oddity. She knew since Anthony is a criminal with bad credit, he would have to use Johnny's accounts and assets. Anthony was telling the truth about buying plant food. What he was lying about was where he purchase his gardening supplies. The garden store he frequents is odd because it's fifteen miles from a store closest to the apartment. Why would the old man go that far for gardening tools and fertilizer? Azalea decided to just go to Johnny with her concerns. Grabbing her laptop and her keys, Azalea walked to the elevator and pressed the number for his floor. Once there, she walked to his apartment. Azalea was surprised Johnny trusted her enough to give her a key to his apartment. Just last week he thought she was selling him out to the cops, and now she had a key. Once Azalea opened the door, she heard a noise and decided to walk upstairs.

"Hey, Johnny I need to..." Azalea paused mid-sentence at the sight before her. Johnny was in bed with a blonde woman.

"Fuck me, harder!" the unknown woman panted. Azalea almost dropped her laptop. She wanted to leave, but curiosity got the better of her. As if she could leave. She willed her feet to move, but they stood planted to that very spot. Azalea studied the woman. She had long blonde hair, most likely extensions, and ample breasts. She sounded like this is routine for her...a prostitute, Azalea thought. She then turned her attention to Johnny. What was it about him always wanting to be in constant domination? Whether it's the Zacchara empire, his hold on her, or the woman beneath him, Johnny loved being on top.

Johnny had grabbed the woman by the hair loving the fact that she liked it rough. He needed something to distract him from his work...from life in general He knew she loved him as a client because he paid her the most money. He always had a weakness for blondes. Well, except that time he was with Olivia. Johnny quickly tossed the memory of his former love aside as he drove deeper into his little whore. He needed this, especially after the weird dream he had. A couple of nights ago, Johnny had a dream about Azalea. She was sitting in a dark room wearing a light blue, sheer nightgown. He could still remember the wide-eyed innocent stare she was giving him. Nothing further happened beyond that. He needed to see anyone besides her. She's the only person that he's in contact with on a regular basis. Switching positions, Johnny heard the woman above him scream in terror instead of pleasure. That's when he saw Azalea. How did she get in? He remembered he gave her a key.

"Jesus Christ!" Johnny wrapped his sheet around him.

"Don't tell me she's a jealous girlfriend?! I thought you said you lived alone!" the woman was standing in the middle of the room unashamed of her nakedness.

"I do."

"Relax, he's my boss." Azalea said from outside the door. She held her hand up to avoid looking at the woman.

"What the fuck are you doing, here?!" Johnny was fuming wondering why Azalea would show up at the most inappropriate, not to mention awkward, time of night.

"I need to talk to you."

"And it couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"It's really important." Johnny hated her damn wide, innocent eyes. He wondered how long she was standing there outside his door.

"I'm gonna go. I'm still getting paid the same amount, right?"

"Yeah...sure." Johnny knew he was red with embarrassment. The blonde woman grabbed her clothes and disappeared into his bathroom. Azalea knew he was angry at her. She could almost see the steam coming from his ears. "What the fuck was so important that you had to barge into my apartment, not even bothering to notify me I might add, and stand at my door like a fucking idiot?!"

"It's about Anthony. He's not here, is he?"

"Jesus, don't mention that man when I'm like this! I knew I shouldn't have given you a damn key."

"I said I was sorry!" the prostitute walked out the bathroom with her clothes on and made her way over to Johnny. Azalea couldn't make out what the woman was saying. Maybe she was telling him to lock the door next time. Once the woman left, Azalea looked over and Johnny was still in bed, naked. "I can't talk to you like that!"

"Like what?"

"Like...that. Would you at least put some clothes on?"

"What's the matter? Like something you see?" Johnny smirked as he couldn't resist a playful dig at Azalea. Serves her right for invading his personal space.

"Don't make me barf." she turned around to give him some time to be decent. Johnny scoffed at how much a prude she was. He hopped out of bed searching for his jeans. Azalea could hear the clanking of his belt.

"You can turn around now. Now, what was so important that you had to cock-block me?"

"Jeez, how many times are you going to make me apologize?! So sorry for coming to you with a concern while you were tapping that ass. Is she even clean?"

"Yes, she is. Not like that's any of your business. You ever ask Steve whenever you two went at it?"

"This isn't about me."

"Then, stay out of my personal business!"

"Whatever. I didn't come here to discuss your sex life...ew. What I came here for is to talk to you about something I noticed when looking at your financial records. By the way, you pay her way too much for what she does." she saw the glare that Johnny was giving her. "Anyway, I was looking through your financial records and I saw an unnamed account."

"So, I use an account all the time. Remember, I have a 'legitimate' business of a car repair shop. I use the account for making deals. The cops just think I use the account for shop expenses."

"Well, this one constantly open and closes...as if they are putting money in and taking it out. I seriously doubt you love to buy plant food practically in another town for your father."

"What? Gimme that thing!" Johnny sat down on his bed and Azalea handed him the laptop. Johnny saw that there was an account that kept closing. He doesn't remember doing any deals lately. After Eddie's death, Johnny wanted to air on the side of caution whenever he did business. He looked further and saw there were transactions in his name to a gardening store not near Port Charles. What was Anthony up to? "I didn't authorize anybody to open an account much less close one!"

"I know this is a long shot, but I think your father is up to something."

"No shit. I don't even know where he goes half the time...to be honest I don't really care. The old man probably couldn't find what he wanted in the gardening store here and wanted to get supplies elsewhere. You'll learn quick that he cares more about his damn plants than he does people." Johnny didn't want elaborate further. Azalea already knew the man was ruthless.

"Maybe, but I have a gut feeling about this. Something just doesn't feel right."

"Azalea, you're over-thinking things. Have you thought about that the account might be yours? Whether you like it or not, you're on my payroll."

"It's not my account. You put me under Tech Support. Johnny, what if I'm not analyzing this too much? Each time Anthony disappears, he goes to that same store. I'm not just imagining this! You see it as well. Anthony is doing something...I just don't know what." Johnny didn't want to appear to have doubts about his father. It wouldn't be the first time Anthony has done something to make Johnny's sticky situation even stickier. "I'll talk to Anthony and see if he's got an explanation for it."

"I think you should have him followed." Azalea muttered under her breath before she could stop herself.

"I thought I was the one at the head of this business?" Johnny could see her sullen eyes. Jesus, not the eyes, he thought. "Look, if I confront him on this, and he's lying to me...I'll have him tailed. Now, are we done here? I have to take care of something."

"Like what..." Johnny looked down and Azalea's eyes followed to Johnny's half-hard member then back to his face. "Oh. Ugh, gross!" Johnny couldn't help but to laugh at Azalea's reaction. Azalea grabbed her laptop all the while avoiding Johnny. She made her way downstairs and was out the door.

Johnny would have to save getting off for another time. His mind became preoccupied with what his useless father was up to. He hoped it wasn't some way to get back at Sonny for almost putting a bullet in him. All he could think about was why did Anthony have to travel so far for some master plan, and why he wasn't included in it? God knows if it was to take down Sonny Corinthos, he would want to be the first person to know.


End file.
